Condensate disposal arrangement for air conditioner



s. E. ROSE April 28, 1959 CONDENSATE DISPOSAL. ARRANGEMENT FOR AIR CONDITIONER Filed 061;. so, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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STANLEY E H I! ATTORNEY April 1959 v I s. E. ROSE 2,883,837 I CONDENSATE DISPOSAL ARRANGEMENT FOR AIR CONDITIONER Filed Oct. 50, 1957 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

STANLEY E. ROSE HIS ATTbRNEY United States Patent M CONDENSATE DISPOSAL ARRANGEMENT FOR AIR CONDITIONER Stanley E. Rose, Lyndon, Ky., assiguor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application October 30, 1957, Serial No. 693,455

4 Claims. (Cl. 62280) The present invention relates to self-contained air conditioning units and more particularly to an improved arrangement in a unit of this type for disposing of condensate which accumulates within such units.

During the operation of a self-contained air conditioning unit, large quantities of water are condensed out of the air flowing over the evaporator of the unit and this water is collected within a sump which is normally found in the base of the unit. In order to dispose of condensate collecting within this sump, many conditioners employ a slinger ring attached to and surrounding the periphery of the fan or blower which is used to circulate a stream of air over one of the heat exchangers. This slinger ring extends or dips into the condensate water in the sump, and during rotation, throws the water out of the sump onto the heat exchanger or into the air stream flowing through the outer portions of the unit. If an air conditioner, having the above type of condensate disposal means, is used during the winter months, there is the possibility that the slinger ring might become solidly frozen within the condensate water if the outdoor temperature drops below freezing. When the water in the sump is frozen and this type of conditioner is turned on, the fan is prevented from rotating by the ice in the sump thus causing the fan motor to either overheat or cause other serious damage to the mechanical parts of the unit.

One means which has been used to eliminate this freezeup of the fan and still provide a slinger type condensate disposal operation is a separate belt-like slinger ring which rides freely on a pulley or other driving means mounted on the fan shaft. This ring extends downwardly into the sump and rotates within the sump during rotation of the fan shaft to sling condensate water upwardly in the same manner as was previously provided by the slinger ring attached to the fan. The advantage of using this slinger belt arrangement is that when the water in the sump freezes the belt slides on its pulley or rotating means and permits the fan to rotate as usual. A problem arising in the use of the slinger belt arrangement, is that the free belt or slinger belt tends to oscillate on its rotating member or pulley and finally gallops around the pulley slapping into various components of the air conditioner adjacent to the ring.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved condensate disposal device of the slinger belt type which will not oscillate or gallop around the shart or around its rotating member.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a retaining means for causing a slinger belt to rotate in a true path without oscillations.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a retainer means which retains a condensate disposal slinger belt in a particular path and prevents the transmittal of vibrations caused by oscillations of the slinger belt to other portions of the air conditioning apparatus.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention 2,883,837 Patented Apr. 28, 1959 will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a self-contained air conditioning apparatus including a refrigeration system having a pair of heat exchangers mounted within a casing and connected in refrigerant flow relationship. A fan, driven by a shaft extending from a motor mounted within the casing, is arranged within the casing for circulating a stream of outside air through one of the heat exchangers. In the lower portions of the casing there is provided a sump and means are employed within the casing for collecting condensate water forming on the heat exchanger operating as an evaporator and for delivering the condensate water to the sump. In order to dispose of the condensate within the sump there is provided a slinger belt which is arranged to run on a pulley which, in turn, is mounted on the fan shaft. Rotation of the pulley causes the slinger belt to lift condensate water out of the sump and sling it into the stream of outdoor air at a point upstream from the condenser. In order to prevent oscillation of the slinger belt and galloping of the slinger belt around the pulley, there is provided a retainer member having a plurality of retaining portions arranged transversely to the belt on opposite sides of the belt to force it to rotate in one particular path. The retainer member is mounted in a resilient means which clamps vibrations transmitted to the retainer member by the slinger belt thereby preventing their transmisison to other portions of the apparatus.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a cross-sectional elevation view of a selfcontained air conditioning unit incorporating the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detailed plan view showing in greater detail the slinger belt arrangement and its retainer means; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation view showing the detailed arrangement of the slinger belt and its retaining member.

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1 there is shown a self-contained air conditioner having the condensate disposal arrangement of the present invention embodied therein. The conditioner includes a housing or casing 2 having a barrier or partition 3 dividing the housing into two separate compartments. The compartments are hereinafter designated the inner compartment 4 and the outer compartment 6 according to their relative positions with respect to an enclosure when the conditioner is mounted within an aperture of the enclosure wall for conditioning the air within the enclosure. The conditioner is provided with a pair of heat exchangers 7 and 8 mounted respectively in the inner compartment 4 and the outer compartment 6. These heat exchangers are connected in refrigerant flow relationship with a compressor 9 which is also mounted in the outer compartment 6. The system is provided with a reversing valve 11 for reversing the flow of refrigerant within the system, thereby permitting each of the heat exchangers to be used alternatively as a condenser or as an evaporator in order to heat or cool the enclosure. Thus, with the heat exchanger 7 operating as an evaporator and the heat exchanger 8 operating as a condenser, the air from within the enclosure is cooled upon being circulated through the inner compartment 4. Conversely, when the heat exchanger 7 is used as a condenser and the heat exchanger 8 is used as an evaporator, the air circulated through the inner compartment 4 from the enclosure is heated.

Within the inner compartment 4, in the lower regions of the compartment and below the heat exchanger 7 is a propeller type fan 12 which pulls air from within the enclosure through the inlet grille 13 and circulates it through the inner compartment. The air is circulated upwardly through the heat exchanger 7 and discharged back into the enclosure through the outlet grille 14. Within the outer compartment 6, there is provided a fan 16 which draws outdoor air through the inlet grille 17 and moves the air stream rearwardly against the barrier 3 whereupon it is diverted in an upward direction through the heat exchanger 8 and discharged to the outdoors through the outlet grille 18. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, both of the fans 12 and 16 are driven by a motor 19 having a horizontal shaft 21 upon which the fans are mounted for rotation therewith. The motor 19 is mounted through the barrier 3 with one end of the motor supported in the cup-shaped member 22 while the other end of the motor is supported within the outer compartment 6 by means of a clamping ring 23. The clamping ring 23, in turn, is supported in spaced relation with respect to the barrier 3 by a plurality of spider-shaped arms 24 extending around the outer portions of the motor and secured to the barrier 3.

Positioned underneath the heat exchanger 7 within the inner compartment 4 there is provided a drip tray 26 which catches condensate water dripping from the heat exchanger 7 when it is utilized as an evaporator. In order to dispose of condensate collecting in a drip tray 26, an insulated drain tube 27 is provided which transfers condensate to a sump 28 positioned in the outer compartment. The sump 28, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is formed as an integral part of the bottom of the casing 2. When the conditioner is operating on the heat cycle, and the heat exchanger 8 is being utilized as an evaporator, condensate which forms on the heat exchanger 8 drops from this heat exchanger into the bottom of the outer compartment 6 and from there flows into the sump 28.

As thus far described this particular air conditioner is not considered essential to the invention, insofar as the structure is concerned, but is intended only to be illustrative of the type of air conditioner to which the invention may be adapted. It should also be noted that the invention can be applied to those types of air conditioners which are permanently mounted within an aperture of an enclosure and which contain no reversible refrigeration system, but which are used in the winter season to provide ventilation for the enclosure. As will now be explained, the present invention deals with the elimination or disposal of condensate water which collects in the sump 28 and the arrangement for disposing of this condensate water which is associated with the rotation of the fan motor shaft but which does not prevent rotation of the shaft if the condensate water in the sump becomes frozen solid.

Mounted on the shaft 21 within the outer compartment is a pulley wheel 29 which is so arranged on the shaft that it is positioned directly above at least a portion of the sump 28. In order to lift the water out of the sump there is provided on the pulley wheel 29 within the groove 31 thereof, a slinger belt 32 which suspends downwardly into the condensate sump 28 and dips into the water within the sump. The slinger belt 32 loosely engages the pulley wheel 29 and is driven thereby whereupon it lifts water from the sump 28 and slings it upwardly into the outdoor air stream flowing rearwardly within the outer compartment 6 against the barrier 3. Condensate water droplets thrown off the slinger belt 32 are carried by the air stream upwardly through the heat exchanger 8 and, when this heat exchanger is operating as a condenser, the droplets are vaporized by this heat exchanger. In the winter when the heat exchanger 8 is operating as an evaporator the water carried upwardly by the air stream is eventually carried through the heat exchanger 8 and passes out of the conditioner through the outlet grille 18 along with the air stream.

There is a tendency for the slinger belt 32 when running on the pulley wheel 29 to oscillate or gallop. That is, there is a tendency for the slinger belt 32 to be rotated around the pulley with the inner surface of the belt acting as the center of rotation for the belt and with the axis of the belt rotating around the periphery of the groove. When this is the case, the belt flops around within the outer compartment 6 and strikes many of the componets therein with the possibility of causing damage to these components or at least causing a great deal of noise. In order to prevent galloping of the slinger belt 32 on the pulley, the present invention provides a retainer means or member generally designated 33 (best seen in Fig. 2) which is provided with a plurality of sections which run transversely to the belt and maintain the belt running in its proper path. As shown in greater detail in Figs. 2 and 3, the retainer member comprises a generally C-shaped wire section 34- which encircles the outer portion of the slinger belt at approximately the diameter thereof. The C-shaped wire retainer 34- is provided with reversely bent end portions 36 mounted in a pair of resilient shock absorbing members 37. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the resilient shock absorbing members are mounted on the motor supporting means or upon the lower spider-like arms 24a of the motor supporting means. More specifically, each shock absorbing member is made of a rubber or plastic material and is provided with a pair of holes, one of which fits over a spider-like arm 24a of the motor mount and the other provides a mount for the reversely bent portion 36 on the C-shaped section 34. A second or cross wire member 38 is provided which attaches at its end portions of the C-shaped member 34 and is formed such that the center portion 33a of the member extends downwardly and through the loop of the slinger belt. The two members 34 and 38, when viewed from the top in Fig. 2 completely surround the slinger belt. Therefore, whenever the slinger belt 32 begins to oscillate from its path or attempts to gallop around the pulley these two wire members, by means of the portions or sections thereof which are disposed transversely to the belt on opposite sides of the belt, cooperate to direct the belt back into its path.

As may be seen in Fig. 3, the center portion 38a of cross wire section 38 extends downwardly toward the sump and is separated a short distance from the central portion 34a of the C-shaped wire section 32. This space between the center portions 34a and 38a permits the slinger belt to be inserted between the two sections of the retainer member during assembly of the belt onto the pulley.

As a further means for preventing the galloping of the slinger belt on the pulley and for retaining this slinger belt thereon in the running position, there is provided a third retainer member 41 positioned directly above the pulley and extending transversely across the groove of the pulley to hold the slinger belt therein. The retaining member ll insures that the slinger belt will not jump out of the groove 31 at times when it comes into contact with the transverse sections of the retainer member which contact causes the rotating slinger belt to jump or lift out of the pulley groove.

During operation of the slinger belt 32 at relatively high speeds of the fan, the belt often comes into contact or strikes portions of the wire retainer member 33 causing the retainer to vibrate. By means of the resilient mounting members 36 the blows or vibrations which are transmitted to the retainer member 33 during the rotation of the slinger belt are prevented from being transmitted to other portions of the apparatus. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, these vibrations are damped by the resilient shock absorbing members and are not passed on to the arms 24a of the motor mount and from there to the other portions of the apparatus. In a tested model, using a slinger belt with the retainer member solidly attached to the motor mount, it was found that the impacts between the retainer member and the belt were transmitted to the barrier which acted as a sounding board to amplify the blows and this produced a great deal of noise. Obviously, the retainer member does not have to be mounted on the motor supporting means, and the configuration of the resilient shock absorbing members does not have to be that shown in the present illustration of the invention. For example, the reversely bent ends 36 of the C-shaped retainer section could be mounted on shock absorbing members which are supported by sections extending from the bottom or sides of the casing. The particular support for the shock absorbing members is not important so long as the members themselves are utilized to prevent the vibrations of the retainer member from reaching other portions of the air conditioning apparatus.

By the present invention there has been provided an improved condensate removal arrangement of the slinger type which is associated with the rotation of the fan motor and which will not prevent operation of the fan motor when the condensate water of the air conditioner freezes. Moreover, the present invention provides a convenient and easily assembled means whereby the slinger member of the present invention may be retained in position. Furthermore, the retainer means reduces the noise transmitted to it by the slinger to a minimum and prevents its transmission to other portions of the conditioner.

While in accordance with the patent statutes, there has been described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and it is, therefore, the aim of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A condensate water slinger for slinging water Within the casing of an air conditioning apparatus comprising a fan mounted in the lower portion of said casing for circulating a stream of outside air through said casing for heat exchange purposes, a motor mounted in the lower portion of said casing and having a shaft for driving said fan, a sump in said casing for collecting condensate water from said air conditioning apparatus, a pulley mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said pulley being positioned over said sump, a slinger belt arranged on said pulley to run thereon and depending into said sump thereby dipping into condensate water and slinging condensate water from said sump upon rotation of said shaft, a retainer member having retaining portions arranged transversely to said belt within the loop of said belt and adjacent the outer periphery of said belt to prevent oscillation and galloping of said belt on said pulley and resilient means within said casing for mounting said retainer member whereby vibrations transmitted to said retainer member by said slinger belt are damped thereby preventing their transmission to other portions of said apparatus.

2. A condensate water slinger for slinging water Within the casing of an air conditioning apparatus comprising a fan mounted in the lower portion of said casing for circulating a stream of outside air through said casing, a motor having a shaft for driving said fan, means for mounting said motor and said fan in said casing, a sump for collecting condensate water from said air conditioning apparatus, a pulley mounted on said shaft downstream from said fan for rotation therewith, said pulley being positioned over said sump, a slinger belt arranged on said pulley to run thereon and depending into said sump thereby to lift condensate water from said sump and sling said water into said stream of outdoor air, a retainer member having retaining portions arranged transversely to said belt on opposite sides of said belt to prevent oscillation of said belt and galloping of said belt on said pulley and resilient means for mounting said retainer member on said motor mounting means whereby vibrations transmitted to said retainer member by said slinger belt are damped thereby preventing their transmission to other portions of said apparatus.

3. A condensate water slinger for slinging water Within the casing of an air conditioning apparatus comprising a fan mounted in the lower portion of said casing for circulating a stream of outside air through said casing, a motor having a shaft for driving said fan, means for mounting said motor and said fan in said casing, a sump in the bottom of said casing for collecting condensate water from said air conditioning apparatus, a pulley mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said pulley being positioned over said sump, a slinger belt arranged on said pulley to run thereon and depending into said sump thereby to lift said condensate water from said sump and introduce it into said stream of outdoor air, a pair of resilient shock absorbing members connected to said motor mounting means, a generally C-shaped wire retainer arranged transverse to said slinger belt and encircling said belt approximately at the diameter thereof, said 'C-shaped wire retainer having the ends thereof reversely bent and mounted through said pair of resilient shock absorbing members, a second wire retainer member attached at its ends to said c-shaped wire retainer, said second retainer having a portion extending transversely to the inner portion of said slinger belt, said retainer members cooperating to surround said belt on opposite sides thereof for preventing oscillations and galloping of said belt on said pulley while said shock absorbing members damp vibrations of said retainer member caused by impact between said slinger belt and said retainer member.

4. A condensate slinger for slinging water within the casing of an air conditioning apparatus comprising a barrier dividing said casing into inner and outer compartments, a fan mounted in the lower portion of said outer compartment for circulating a stream of outside air through said compartment, a sump in said outer compartment for collecting condensate water from said air conditioning apparatus, a motor mounted in said barrier and having a horizontal shaft for driving said fan, a plurality of arms connected to said barrier and extending outward- 1y around said motor to support the end thereof on said barrier, a pulley mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said pulley being positioned over said sump, a slinger belt arranged on said pulley to run thereon and depending into said sump thereby to lift condensate water from said sump and introduce it into said stream of outside air, a generally C-shaped wire section arranged transversely to said slinger belt and encircling said belt approximately at the horizontal diameter thereof, a second wire section attached at its ends to said 'O-shaped wire section and having a portion extending transversely through the loop of said slinger belt, said retainer sections cooperating to surround said slinger belt and to prevent oscillation and galloping of said belt on said pulley, and a pair of resilient shock absorber members mounted on two of said outwardly extending arms which support said motor, said resilient shock absorber members providing the sole support for said 'C-shaped wire section whereby vibrations transmitted to said retainer sections by oscillations of said slinger belt are damped thereby preventing further transmission of said vibrations to said outwardly extending support arms and said barrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,007,650 Ellis Oct. 31, 1911 1,280,682 Dickinson Oct. 8, 1918 2,295,233 Mosher Sept. 8, 1942 2,796,745 Rose June 25, 1957 

